STORYLINE:The New Mexico baseball team hosts Texas Tech Tuesday, March 16 at Isotopes Park, beginning at 6 p.m. for their first mid-week game of the season. UNM will play a total of nine mid-week games this season, four of which will come against Texas Tech.

UNM's schedule, which is rated the 13th most difficult in the nation as of March 7, doesn't get any easier as the Red Raiders roll into the Duke City with a 13-5 record. Thirteen of UNM's first 15 games have come against teams with a winning record, and seven of those games have come against ranked teams or teams receiving votes in the national polls.

New Mexico (2-12-1) was swept by TCU in a three-game series last weekend at Fort Worth. The Lobos were shut out for the first time since May 4, 2002, with a 2-0 loss in the opening game of the series on Friday. Saturday's game was suspended after two and a half innings, and made up on Sunday as part of a doubleheader. The Horned Frogs (11-8) came back to win the first game, 11-3, and captured the second game, 5-1.

Texas Tech competed at the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond last weekend. The Red Raiders defeated Illinois, 4-1, on Friday, but fell to No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday, 6-1. Sunday's game vs. Texas State was cancelled due to heavy rain.

The Lobos will send junior right-hander Cooper Eddy to the mound against Texas Tech, while the Red Raiders will bring junior right-hander Michael McGowan to the hill. Eddy is 1-2 with a 5.21 ERA, but pitched a seven-hit complete game with seven strikeouts in his last outing vs. UC Santa Barbara. McGowan is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five innings of work.

ON DECK: The Lobos begin the Mountain West Conference season this weekend (March 19-21) against Utah at Isotopes Park. Friday's game is set for 6 p.m., Saturday's game is at 1 p.m. and Sunday's game is at 12 p.m. The Utes enter the week with a 4-11 record after getting swept last weekend by Pacific.

Preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Clayton Jerome pitched a three-hit complete-game shutout in TCU's 2-0 victory over the New Mexico baseball team in Friday's opener. The Lobos didn't have many scoring opportunties against Jerome (4-1), but threatened to score in the first. With one out, Garrick Haymore walked followed by a Josh Mader double. Joe Salas was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. UNM couldn't take advantage, however, ending the inning with a popout and a groundout.

New Mexico wouldn't get another hit until it got two in a row with two outs in the ninth inning. But with runners on first and second, the Lobos ended the game with a groundout.

UNM starter Danny Ray Herrera (0-3) pitched six solid innings, allowing five hits while striking out four. The only run he surrendered was a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

TCU added another run in the seventh on a series of UNM miscues. The Lobos walked three batters, loading the bases, before sending a run home on a balk.

The New Mexico baseball team fell twice to TCU Sunday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. TCU won the first game, which was suspended from Saturday, 11-3, and triumphed in the second game, 5-1.

Saturday's game was suspended after two and a half innings, and the Lobos took a 2-0 lead into the game which resumed Sunday morning. Jeff Grady hit a solo homer and Matt Foote had an RBI single on Saturday to give the Lobos the lead, but TCU countered with two runs in each of the first three innings on Sunday morning to take a commanding 6-2 advantage. Jay Russell knocked in his first career RBI with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but once again the Horned Frogs (11-8) answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning in the 11-3 win.

In the second game, TCU collected 11 hits and limited the Lobos to one run in the 5-1 victory. The Frogs gathered one run in the second, two in the sixth and two in the seventh.

Petr Pacas (0-1), in his first start as a Lobo, allowed one run on four hits in five innings of action. Spitaleri, Haymore and Tim Grady each collected two hits for the Lobos in the second game.

DON'T LEAVE FOR THE BALLPARK WITHOUT THEM - CAN'T MISS NOTES:

* Texas Tech leads the all-time series vs. New Mexico, 44-29-1. The Red Raiders beat the Lobos three out of five times in 2003 and will play four times this season.

* Thirteen of the Lobos' first 15 games have come against teams with a winning record, and seven of those games were against teams either ranked in the Top 25 or receiving votes in the national polls. Texas A&M moved up three spots this week to No. 9, while Nebraska is ranked 25th. Arkansas was receiving votes in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll. UNM's schedule is currently rated the 13th toughest in the nation.

*The Lobos won their first game in their new facility, Isotopes Park, with a 6-3 win over UCSB March 7. UNM is 1-6-1 all-time at Isotopes Park.

GET OUT THOSE BINOCULARS - LOBOS TO WATCH:

* Sophomore catcher A.J. Spitaleri leads the team with a .379 batting average and a .406 on-base percentage. He is batting .548 (7-for-13) in the last six games.

* Freshman third baseman Daniel Stovall has exploded onto the scene with impressive numbers in his 12 games. Stovall leads the team in slugging percentage (.537) and is second on the team in batting (.317) and home runs (two).

* Junior centerfielder and leadoff hitter Matt Young is the team's offensive spark. He leads the team with 15 runs and is also batting .310 with a .369 on-base percentage.